London: A 17-year-old girl in the UK has been charged with terrorism offences for being in contact with an Islamic State jihadist and attempting to join the terror group, Scotland Yard said on Thursday.

Representational image. Reuters

The unnamed teenager is accused of communicating with a person in the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), possessing a flight booking to Istanbul with the intention to travel to Syria, and self-radicalising, the Metropolitan Police said.

"She was charged within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court with the intention of committing acts of terrorism engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect the intention," the Met statement said. The offences allegedly occurred between 1 January last year and 31 March this year. She was arrested in central London and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The girl has been remanded in custody until 28 April, when she will appear at the Old Bailey. It follows an investigation by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. A 20-year-old woman was also arrested as part of the investigation, but was later released with no further action. Both were arrested at the same address on 21 August last year.